


Till The End Of The Day

by Sunset2304



Category: The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Angst, Best Friends, Character Death, First World War AU, M/M, The Maze Runner AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-15
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-05-26 21:54:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6257353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunset2304/pseuds/Sunset2304
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I know that I can’t possibly run fast enough to escape the lethal gas that is wafting through the trenches behind us. Not if I’m dragging an injured man with me that can barely take a single step on his own. It would be much easier to flee if I would just leave him behind and put all of my energy into saving my own life. Maybe I would make it out in time and even be able to go home someday.<br/>“Tommy.” Newt groans in agony. “You- you have to leave me.”<br/>“No way, you are coming with me.” I grunt and pull his limb arm over my shoulder again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Till The End Of The Day

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! :) I don't know if anyone ever reads the notes but if you do then thanks for clicking on my work! This is my first submission ever and I really hope you enjoy it.  
> I'm sorry for any typos, English is not my first language.

I know that I can’t possibly run fast enough to escape the lethal gas that is wafting through the trenches behind us. Not if I’m dragging an injured man with me that can barely take a single step on his own. It would be much easier to flee if I would just leave him behind and put all of my energy into saving my own life. Maybe I would make it out in time and even be able to go home someday.  
“Tommy.” Newt groans in agony. “You- you have to leave me.”  
“No way, you are coming with me.” I grunt and pull his limb arm over my shoulder again.   
He moans and struggles back to his feet. His whole body is quivering from the physical strain and I know that he is clinging to the edge of consciousness desperately.   
“It’s okay.” I whisper and start jogging again. “You are okay, I promise.”   
Maybe if I say it often enough he will believe me and hold on a little longer. We make it around the next corner and into a new trench before his legs give out under his body weight and he hits the floor on his knees.   
“Tommy.” he grits out. “There is no way. I can’t walk. I-I can’t”  
He leans forward and starts sobbing into his hands. He almost never breaks down and I don’t remember ever seeing him like this. I just stands there, frozen on the spot with a war going on around me. An explosion goes off somewhere in the distance and I feel the earth vibrating beneath me. My head turns a little and I stare at the black smoke that is now rising towards the sky.   
“That was a big one.” Newt says but I don’t look at him.   
I can’t because just an hour ago one of those monsters had exploded in our camp, kicking off the day I most likely would lose my life to the war. Nobody had had time to identify the victims but the soldiers scrambling out of the dust cloud were not more than six or seven, Newt and me included.   
I take a deep breath and kneel down next to my friend. He has been injured in Austria-Hungary’s attack and a huge wound is now gaping in his calf. My chest feels incredibly tight as I reach for his shoulder and roll him onto his stomach.   
“What are you doing?” Newt asks with a weak voice and twists his neck so he can look at me.   
The tears have left light stains in his otherwise dirty face and god, he is so pale. He must have lost much more blood then I thought he did.   
“Examining your wound.” I hear myself answer and next thing I am cutting open his pants.  
It’s a good thing that my dad is a doctor because I learned how to handle blood and any kind of injuries pretty well early on in my life. I thank him silently as I peel back the fabric of his trousers. My hands are immediately covered with the sticky red substance that is still oozing out of the gash. In this moment I realize that Newt does not have any chance of surviving. It’s over. Even if I would be able to save us from the gas and escape to the next medical station they wouldn’t be able to help him. We don’t have any blood transfers available and he had already lost way too much. My heart literally throbs in my chest and I feel a strangely cold feeling creeping into my body. It’s like death itself is breathing down my neck.   
“I know.” Newt suddenly says.  
He is still looking at me and this time I allow myself to meet his gaze. He knows, of course he does. His facial expression isn’t scarred what seems utterly strange to me but I learned to not ask any questions. So I simply shrug instead, push everything down and bundle it up inside. I can cry later if I really need to.   
“It’s not that bad.”  
My lie is smooth and useless but it’s more to comfort myself. I cut off a part of my shirt and wrap it around Newt’s leg tightly, tying it right above his injury. He let’s out a pitiful cry and digs his fingers into the loose dirt.   
“You are not taking me. You can’t Tommy.” He protests as I help him into a sitting position.   
I don’t listen to his words, trying to figure out how to put as much distance between us and the gas. That was kind of hard because our enemy was invincible but I wasn’t going to give up. I need to get us as far away as possible.   
“Thomas!” He yells.  
I don’t even blink as I get up and lift him onto my shoulders.   
“What are you thinking?” He asks weakly. “You will kill yourself.”  
“Shut up, would you?” I hiss. “I’m not leaving you behind. The gas is probably right around the corner by now. We need to be as quick as possible.”   
Newt didn’t say anything so I start running through the maze of death how we call it lovingly. The trench war is the worst kind of war, let me tell you. You are trapped and all you can do is run through the narrow passageways, not knowing if you are sprinting into life or death. Actually that’s what I was doing right now with Newt clinging to my shoulders silently. Nobody said a word, partly because I was running and needed to save my breath and partly because we both knew that the situation was hopeless. But I didn’t give up, at some point I had to get out of here, right?  
Bombs were still going off but I managed to escape the explosions every single time. The ground beneath my feet was shaking and whenever I was about to run into a trench that contained dead bodies, I turned around as quick as I could and scrambled into a different direction.   
After about an hour I had to stop and take a break. Sweat was running down my face and my lungs were screaming. I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it much further. Carefully I put Newt back down and then collapsed next to him, our shoulders bumping.   
The look on his face showed how much he was actually suffering and suddenly I felt guilty for putting him through this kind of pain. He gasped and pushed himself up a little more, his mouth twisting to hold back a scream. I never thought about the possibility that he actually would want to die.   
“Tommy.” My friend groaned. “Please, just leave or shoot me. I can’t do this anymore.”   
I felt hot tears welling up in my eyes and had to blink to regain my vision.   
“I can’t, Newt.”   
“Do it for me, please. I’m dying anyways.”   
My hands started to tremble and I wanted to shake my head but I couldn’t move anymore.  
“You owe me.” Newt said slowly. “Do you want me to suffer?”   
Mechanically I reached behind my back and pulled up my gun, slowly pointing it at Newt. He looked at me for a moment and relaxed, he wasn’t scared at all.   
“Please, Tommy, please.” He whispered again.  
I pulled the trigger.


End file.
